The feeling of true community is unmistakable. Maybe you’ve felt such mutual respect and love walking into your home during the holidays, when you get together with a dear group of friends, or at your place of worship. This same sense of belonging was immediately noticeable when I visited Yahara House earlier this year.

Yahara House is a ‘clubhouse-style’ recovery center for individuals with mental health struggles. It is one of over 330 clubhouses in 30 countries that use this model. You probably have driven by Yahara House many times if you live in Madison. Behind its doors at 802 East Gorham Street is a group of members and staff focused on recovery through hope, dignity, and community. Members of Yahara House can spend 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the

In 2024, the average Dane County home sold for 3.1 percent above the original list price with competing offers. Without competing offers, the average Dane County home sold for 2.4 percent below the list. 

For Dane County condos, the average was 3.8 percent above the original list price with multiple offers. Without multiple offers, the average condo sold for 1.7 percent below the list. 

In both cases, for homes and condos, listings with competing offers sold for 5.5 percent more than listings without. For a $500,000 listing, this is equivalent to $27,500.

This huge price difference is why we always work to attract competing offers for our sellers. Not to mention that competitive listings tend to bring in cleaner offers with fewer contingencies. 

The real estate environment is always changing, and one scenario that seems to be happening more often lately is an unrepresented buyer asking a listing agent to write an offer on their own listing. 

The buyer's line of thinking, in many cases, is that they can better compete for the home when the listing agent writes the offer and receives both sides of the commission. In other words, the buyer is betting that the listing agent will be motivated by a bigger paycheck and use their influence to persuade the seller to accept their offer. 

But there's a problem with this. 

The seller hired the listing agent to represent the seller's best interests, not the buyer's. And asking the listing agent to serve both sides in a transaction is often fraught

Our apologies for the title. 

But now that we have your attention, here are a few examples from some of our recent listings of how pillows can be used to add color and warmth to a room. 

What questions do you have about staging your home for your upcoming sale? 

We're here to help you execute your professional staging plan and prepare for a successful sale. Just reach out to your preferred Mad City Dream Homes realtor when you're ready to begin the conversation. We're always available to help, and never with any high pressure sales or spin. 

** Thank you as always to Step Inside Media for your beautiful listing photos. **

There is no better time than right now to promote and lean into our values, and investing some time to reflect on these three questions can help: 

1) Why is it that we have chosen real estate as a career?

2) What drives us to do what we do each day?

3) What is it about our value proposition that makes us unique in today's crowded market?

If we can clearly articulate the answers for ourselves, then we can do the same for the people who want and need to work with an honest and ethical professional.

Dane County condo prices jumped higher in April -- for all 3 of the measures that we track. Here's our comprehensive update on the Madison area condo market for April, 2025. 

Dane County condo prices

Three condo price statistics

• The price per square foot grew from $228 in April of 2024 to $255 in April of 2025, an increase of 12 percent. 
• The average price jumped from $336,304 to $396,231, an increase of 18 percent. 
• The median price grew from $293,895 to $335,100, up 14 percent.  

** A quick note about prices: The condo market can experience large fluctuations in prices from one month to the next, due to the relatively low number of units sold each month. A few high-end or low-end sales can have a big impact and skew the numbers

In Dane County's competitive real estate market, having a buyer agent with a strong professional reputation can make the difference between getting your dream home and losing out. When a listing agent knows they're working with an honest and ethical professional, they trust that the transaction will move forward without any unnecessary drama or conflict. In a multiple offer situation, this means the buyer with a stellar buyer agent is the one who usually wins out. 

At Mad City Dream Homes, we're always striving to maintain our good standing in the realtor community, knowing that a strong reputation can make all the difference for our clients. And of course we're here to put our reputation to work for you. Reach out when you're ready for a helpful

Dane County home prices rose in April for two out of our three measures. Here's our full report on the Dane County single family home market for the month of April, 2025.

Dane County home prices

Three price statistics:

• The price per square foot increased from $235 in April of 2024 to $256 in April of 2025, a jump of 9 percent.
• The average price grew from $536,245 to $558,202, an increase of 4 percent.
• The median price dipped from $495,000 to $489,900, down 1 percent (for the second straight month).

We do expect prices to remain elevated throughout the year, based on current supply and demand trends. 

New listings

New MLS listings rose from 591 in April of 2024 to 680 in April of 2025, an increase of 15%. This is a

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by horticulturalist Jeff Epping, entitled: "From Lawn to Life: Creating Beautiful Eco-Friendly Gardens". 

Jeff's presentation was packed with helpful insight and information. Here are just a few of Jeff's tips for creating and managing an eco-friendly garden -- one that is low-maintenance, drought-resistant, free of chemicals, and teeming with life. 

Jeff's home gardening and conservation tips

1) Use leaf mulch instead of wood mulch. 

2) Grow gardens composed of at least 70 percent native plants. 

3) Plant keystone tree species of native oak, willow, or cherry. 

4) Swap out the traditional bluegrass lawn for low-maintenance fescue. 

5) Remember, weeds are okay, and "lawn =

We've been sharing how condo inventory has been quietly improving in Dane County, and the same goes for Downtown Madison. As of this post, there are 19 condos available for sale (without an accepted offer) near the Capitol Square, with 14 of these condos available for less than $500,000. 

You can learn a lot more about the available opportunities in our Downtown Condo Guide, where we profile over 20 different associations for you. Or, reach out to your favorite Mad City Dream Homes realtor for a helpful consultation. We're here to help you learn about our local condo market and find the right community for you.